Organic. Planted in 2002, the Wrekin Vineyard is a small, organically certified (Biogro) and biodynamically farmed site at the top of the Brancott Valley, almost in its own locality. It’s a great new site for Corofin, providing both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay of “exceptional individuality and quality”, according to Paterson. Owned by Jan and Andrew Johns and farmed by Jeremy Highland, Wrekin sits in the lee of the scarps of the Southern Valley foothills, on clay-rich soils laid over greywacke mother-rock. Orientated northeast and planted at 4000 vines per hectare (to moderate vigour), it’s also one of the highest vineyards in the valley, producing fruit that is often the last to be harvested each year.
This is Corofin’s second Wrekin Pinot and it’s easy to see why this biodynamically farmed, 14-hectare vineyard is fast becoming a site of significance in the Marlborough landscape. Referencing the cool location and late-ripening here, Paterson notes that “Having Pinot on the vine for as long as possible without compromising the integrity of site always produces the best results.”
The winemaking here is hardly different to the Settlement Pinot: whole berries were placed in a sealed tank for five days and wild yeast fermentation lasted eight days before the wine was immediately pressed off to minimise extraction. It was then raised in seasoned French barrels before finishing its élevage in tank. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.